Tractor



L. 1. KLINE. TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1920.

1,3 91,'7'79.Y Pamasept. 27, 1921.

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TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1920.

.Patentd Sept. 27, 1921.

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UNITEDv .STATES P-Aijranr- `olv-FlesQ:A

LAWRENCE J. IILINFJ7 orcII-ICAGC, ILLINOIS,V k,AssIerNonfro? MERCURY; MANUFC TUBING COMPANY, or CHICAGO, -ILLINoIsgA CoRPoRA'Io'N or ILLINOIS.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, LAwRnNCnJ. VIXLINE,

Y a citizen of the United States, and a resident ofthe tractor, it has been vdiiiicult to obtain of Chicago, inthe county of Cook and Statek of Illinois, have invented Certain new* and useful Improvements in Tractors, of whichv the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invent-ion relates to tractors and hasA to do particularly with the front supporting wheels and the arrangement and constructtion by which they are turned for steering the tractor. In'the use of structures heretofore in which a ksingle wheel has` been pron vided located centrally at the forward end the desired spring mounting without-at the same time very materially weakening the lateral support of the wheel, and 'it is the principal object of my invention to provide a new and improved form and arrangement of parts by which the tractor frame may be supported with the desired amount of resiliency and by which the tendency of the sup-` porting wheel struct-ure toy cant laterally is reduced to av minimum or isentirely eliminated. The preferred means by which I have accomplished my Objectis illustrated in the Vaccompanying drawingsand is hereinafter specifically describedu That which Ibelieve to be new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the claims.

In the drawings,- f

Figure 1 is atransverse vvertical.section through the forward end portion of my improved structure, being taken substantially on line 1-1 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 2 is4 a longitudinalf'vertical section through the parts shown kin Fig. 1, being taken substantially on line 2 2 of F ig. 1. Referring vto the several figures of the drawings, in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference charactera-4 indicates the main frame of a tractor comprising a cross-bar 5 a short distance in rear of the forward end of the frame. A longitudinally extending plate 6 is secured at its forward end to the front end of the frame 4, and at its rear-end to the cross-bar 5, the plate 6 being provided with a vertically disposed sleeve 7 which is braced in position thereon by vertically disposed webs 4nectedwith its end 'tical springs 16 and l Specification of Letters Patent Patentd Sept, 27, 1921 Application iled September 27, 197205 Serial No. 412,989.

interposed between the yoke 10 and the vsleeve 7 a felt washer 13 being providedv for preventing the escape of oil therefrom.; A bushing 14 of bronze or of other suitable Vmaterial 1s provided on the inner face of 'the sleeve 7. The upper end of the shank 11 ris reduced in size and a cap 15 is secured thereon by means of screw-threads serving to hold the shank against withdrawal from: the

. sleeve 7.

The yoke 10, rotatably connected with the f main frame as abovev described, has conportions two semi-ellip- 17. As is bestshown in Fig. 2, each ofthe springs 16and 17 comprises apluralityof leavesg'connected to-V gether by means of a bolt 18,- the uppermost leaf being pivotally connected by means of -a bolt. 19 with the forward end of the yoke. At the rear end of the yokethe uppermost two leaves of the spring are held in sliding engagement with the yoke by means of a pin 2o.Y y i 1 An axle 21 is connected at a point between its ends with an intermediate portion of the springs 16 and 17 by means of clips 22,

three of which are'employed, one'being l0- 'cated between the springs and the other two being positioned on opposite sides of the pair of springs. Plates 23 and 24 are used in connectionV with the clips 22 for holding the springs and axle securely in position. yAs is clearly shown in Fig. l,v the axle 21 is of reduced diameter at its operative en d portions-so as to provide shoulders adjacent to the clips 22. Supporting wheels'25 and 26 of any suitable type are secured upon the end portions of theY axle 21,k anti-friction bearings'of any suitable type.v being interposed between the hubs of the wheels and the axle. It has been found, from practical Fig. 2. By thus offsetting the axle with respect to the vertical axes'of the steering rod 27 the wheels are maintained yin their parallel position with the longitudinal axis of the tractor which tends to render the 'steering much easier and also to maintain the wheels in a straight line when the trac# tor is moving forward. n

By mounting the wheels 25 and 26 Aupon the same axle member so as to hold' the wheels rigidly in parallel position with respect to each other, the wheels are assured the required lateral support and are prevented rom canting laterally with respect to the yoke 10, the width othetread of the two wheels taken together being sufficient to eiect this purpose. i t the same time the Wheels 25 and 26 are loca-ted in sufficiently close proximity to each otherl to make them easy to control for guiding the tractor.

Means is provided :tor turning the wheels with respect to the frame l for steering the machine. rlhis means comprises ya steering bar 27 which extends downwardly through a 'suitable opening through the' shank 11 and through the yoke 10, being keyed in said opening, as is shown in Fig. 2, so as to cause the shank to rotate therewith for turning the yoke laterally with" respect to the frame. For holding the bar 27 against withdrawal, l have provided a collar 28 held in position by means of a tapered pin 29, asis shown in Fig. 2, a set screw 30 carried by thev cap 15 being adapted to engage a notch in the upper edge of the collar 28 for preventing upward movement of the collar and the steering bar 27 and for preventing rotary movement of the cap 15 with respect to the shank 11. As will be readily understood, the cap 15 can be rotated for purposes of adjustment when the set screw 30 has been turned out Vot contact with the collar 28. The steering bar 27 is provided upon its end portion with a handle 31 of any suitable type.

As will be readily understood, by the manipulation of the steering bar 27, the wheels 25 and 26 can be swung laterally withy respect to the frame 4; for steering the tractor, the wheels being at so short a distance apart as to afford little more resistance against a turning movement than would a single front supporting and steering wheel. By the use of the semi-elliptical springs 16 and 17, the

means desired resiliency is obtained, while at the same time the wheel structure is adapted to resist any tendency to cant laterally, as is above described. y

What I claim as my invention and desire toz cover by Letters Patent is,-

1. In a tractor, the combination of a frame, a yoke journaled in said frame and rotatable about a vertical axis, a semi-elliptical spring below said yoke and connected with end portions of the yoke, said yokev and spring being bowed in opposite directions, supporting wheels located at opposite sides of said sprinO` g, an' axle connecting said wheels, and

for securing the central portions of saidaxle and spring together.

2. ln a tractor, the combination of a frame, a yoke journaled in said frame end rotatable about a vertical' axis, a pair of semielliptical springs placed side by side and spaced a short distance apart and each connected with end portions of said yoke, an axleextending transversely of said springs, means located between and below said springs for securing the springs and the axle together, other securing. means abutting the outer sides of the springs, and wheels on the end portions of said axle in `proximity to said springs.

3. A tractor comprising a' frame, a yoke semi-elliptical springs each connected at one end with said yoke and having sliding engagement with the yoke at the other end, an axle, a clip between said springs and two other clips on' opposite sides of said springs connecting said axle at an intermediate point with an intermediate portion of said springs, and supporting wheels journaled on the end portions of said axle on opposite sides of said springs.

4. A tractor comprising a iframe, a vertically-disposed sleeve mounted on said frame centrally thereof at its forward end, a yoke having a shank journaled in said sleeve, an antiij'riction bearing between said yoke and said sleeve, a cap secured to said shank above said sleeve, a semi-elliptical spring carried by v'said yoke, and a pair of supporting wheels located a short distance apart on opposite sides of said spring, and means for connecting said wheels with said springs.

LAWRENCE J. KLINE.

rotatably connected with said frame, two e. 

